Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime Chapter 24: 24: Turning Blades and Tides, a Transformers/Beast Wars + Gundam Seed Crossover fanfic

AN: I'm going to try to keep this Author's note as short as possible since this is a long chapter, and I mean a long chapter. I'm sorry to say that I can't answer most of the reviews from last chapter just yet as they would either spoil the events of this chapter or overall, but I will say this in response to two of them. Skids and Mudflap more than likely won't make an appearance in this timeline, but the Predacons will. They will have a major role in the final story of this trilogy I've now started. Now then, let's get this show on the road with my longest chapter yet!

I do not own anything from any of the Gundam or Transformers franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

Chapter 24: Turning Blades and Tides

In an undisclosed location, Starscream was taking a small stroll around the secret installation that the Atlantic Federation had unknowingly set up for Blue Cosmos as he observed his troops preparing for battle, and yes he was only referring to the Decepticons and not the puny humans that were tinkering with the mobile suits or mobile armors or whatever else they were tinkering with. Starscream may be arrogant, but make no mistake when it came to differentiating between his troops and those of the humans he made no effort to make it clear which was which in his opinion. As he had approached the end of his stroll, Starscream noted a certain blonde man in a blue suit was entering the complex.

"Ah Azrael," Starscream smirked in greeting. "I do hope you bring good news about how your meeting went."

"Well naturally the boys upstairs are upset about what happened at Panama," Azrael commented in a carefree tone that would seem to indicate he barely even cared. "And now they are accelerating their plans to retake Victoria, but I was able to convince them to take other actions in the case of the Orb situation."

Now Starscream was very intrigued. "Oh, and what might that be?"

"I convinced them to let me handle the negotiations with Orb, and to let us take the new toys along with us, seeing as this would be a perfect way to test them."

"Ah yes, you are referring to the machines known as the Calamity, the Raider, and the Forbidden. I also can't help but notice how you said that they were allowing 'us' to do so. Does this mean that my forces will finally be able to show their worth in full?"

"But of course," Azrael replied with the same eager tone Starscream tried to display. "They are more than curious to see just how combative the Combaticons truly are, and how effective of a battle commander you are. So I have to ask, are you ready to storm Orb, Commander Starscream?"

Starscream smirked. "Am I to assume that you will want Morgenroete and Orb's Mass Driver undamaged?" When Starscream received only a calm smile in response from Azrael, he took that to mean yes and replied, "Very well. I shall let Onslaught and Sharpshot know to have their troops readied to move out and head into battle. I assure you they will prove to be exactly what you may be expecting them to be and more in the battle to come against both Orb and the Autobots."

Azrael raised an eyebrow at this comment. "The Autobots? Now why would we be fighting them at Orb? After all, we are all quite certain that they and their ship had been destroyed at JOSH-A, so why would we have reason to worry about them still being around at all?"

Starscream chuckled darkly in response as he stated, "My dear, naïve Azrael. You will soon see what I and all other Decepticons have learned long ago back on Cybertron, and that is the fact that Autobots are not so easily killed, especially when they serve directly under Optimus Prime or when it's the last Prime himself."

Azrael smirked in anticipation at this. Truthfully, he was actually hoping for that himself, as it would allow him to test the value of Starscream's new Decepticon forces to their true fullest. After all, what better way to test the value of a partnership with an alien military force than by pitting them against one of their greatest enemies? As he had stated earlier to his fellow Command members, if the noble Mister Athha was even half as stubborn as he was rumored to be then they could very well find themselves in for a little excitement and that was especially so if the Autobots truly were still alive and now in Orb.

The following day in Orb, Lord Uzumi and the rest of the Orb Government officials received what the Earth Forces called their "final warning", but the truth was that they were only being shown the Earth Forces true colors that they apparently had no trouble revealing now that they had lost Panama. Along with this, they also received information that an Alliance Fleet was already on its way to Orb, and somehow Carpentaria had found out about the situation and were now requesting a meeting as well. Needless to say, Uzumi Nara Athha was furious at this, not only because the Atlantic Federation were now shamelessly showing Orb their true colors, but also over the fact that the world was continuing to be forced in to two camps because of the Federation. Knowing that even if they avoided a conflict today, they only be forced to fight in the war tomorrow, so there was only one thing that the Orb leaders could do and it was not a hard decision.

That decision was soon passed on to Murrue Ramius and Optimus Prime aboard the Archangel and in Alpha I respectively, which led the former Earth Forces ship's captain to call the crew together for a meeting. Everyone was quick to stop what they were doing in preparation for what they thought may or may not be coming and were soon gathered together in the Archangel's hangar along with Optimus, Jazz, Hound, and Bumblebee. Seeing that everyone was now here, Murrue took a deep breath as she began, "An Earth Alliance fleet is on its way here, to Orb. We're told the reason is that unless Orb chooses to join forces with the Earth Alliance, and then fight against the PLANTs, it will be considered a supporter of Z.A.F.T."

"But that's ridiculous," someone cried out in protest.

"You're fragging right it is," Jazz added in.

"The Orb government is continuing to stress its position as a neutral nation and is pursuing a diplomatic solution even as we speak, but unfortunately, judging from the reaction of the Earth Forces so far, we think the chances of avoiding a battle are rather slim," Murrue then continued. "Orb has given its citizens orders to evacuate the cities and all areas in proximity to military facilities. They're readying their defenses in anticipation of the worst case scenario, and each one of us has to make a decision as well."

Everyone was silent at this, and were all suddenly unsure of what was now coming. Murrue then enlightened them all to that as she stated, "At the moment, the Archangel is a run-away ship, and our status is undetermined. Right now there's nobody to give us our orders or tell us what to do about the Orb situation, and technically at this point you're no longer operating under my jurisdiction."

That led everyone to start whispering in barely restrained confusion, but despite this, they somehow all knew that the captain of the Archangel was right about that and now knew what was going to be said next. "Should a battle prove unavoidable, the attack will commence at o' nine hundred the day after tomorrow. Each of us has to make a personal decision to fight and protect Orb or not. Therefore, anyone who wishes to take this opportunity to disembark from the ship is asked to leave immediately and evacuate according to the orders of the Orb government," Murrue then paused for a moment as she gave a small, apologetic smile before finally finishing her speech. "I know I wasn't the most reliable of captains, and I want to thank all of you for sticking with me. It was a privilege to have led you."

"You are mistaken in your judgment of your abilities as a captain, Murrue Ramius," Optimus then spoke up, getting everyone's attention, especially Murrue's. "While some in the Earth Forces may believe that, there is not a doubt in my processor or my spark that the Archangel could never have asked for a better captain than you, however it may have happened. Through your efforts, this mighty ship and its crew have survived many battles and are now still able to stand to this day, and I am certain that so long as you remain as the Archangel's captain it will continue to do so in all the challenges that are to come."

"I agree with Optimus," Kira stated, and he was soon joined by everyone from the Archangel crew as well. "There's no one else I'd rather have as captain of this ship than you Miss Murrue."

With that said, everyone stood at attention, saluting the brave woman who had led them so well and helped them all to accomplish whatever mission or objective they faced. At the sight of this, Murrue could only stare in shock, before tears of joy began to slowly fall from her eyes as she smiled and said, "Thank you. Thank you all so much."

Optimus and the other Autobots all nodded at seeing how loyal to their captain the Archangel's crew was, and felt that they had forged a bond of brotherhood that could only be matched by the Autobots themselves.

The last Prime then cleared his throat before giving another speech of his own. "In reference to the Omega II, the ship had never truly had any formal alliance with the Earth Forces or any official military force of your world, and therefore its status is as undetermined as the Archangel's. However, we have all now seen just how corrupt and twisted the Earth Alliance truly is and how they have constantly asked for all to play by their rules, and now the rules have changed. I once said that our vessel would become a symbol of what a true alliance between humans and Cybertronians can accomplish as it took on the namesake of a fallen Autobot warrior, and that has stood true to this day. Now we shall show the Earth Forces the truth of this symbol and why the Autobots shall never surrender to any force that allies with the Decepticons as we take the battle to them! I intend to ensure that Orb does not fall to this terrible darkness that could be considered as the Earth's own Decepticons. My fellow warriors, Autobot and human alike, what do you wish to ensure?"

As Optimus finished his speech, the Autobots who were present, or simply listening in from Alpha I or the Omega II all roared in agreement with what he said, and they were quickly joined by all those on the Archangel who intended to stay. Hearing this, Optimus felt certain that when the Earth Forces came, even if the nation itself were to fall, that Orb would live on no matter what the cost.

A few hours after the two speeches had been given, while most remained with the Archangel some people did leave the ship in the end. Among the eleven people who did leave, was Kira's friend Kuzzey, and to be honest, Kira and Sai both thought that was for the best, as the young man was far too nice to get involved with battles at all. Though the boy did feel like the fact he was the only one out of their group of friends leaving made him look like a coward, a small pep talk from Sai was enough to cheer him up and make him feel like he was making the right decision, at least for himself. Of course, there were also two that needed to leave the ship, and neither one of them was among those eleven.

While everyone was finishing up with the preparations for action the following day, Miriallia and Kira went to release Dearka and Nicol from the brig. Nicol raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on?"

"This ship is going into battle again because the Earth Forces are attacking Orb," Miriallia told him and Dearka in a soft, neutral tone. "Apparently, you're both free to go now. You're both being released."

With that said, Miriallia just tossed Dearka his pilot suit and then walked out, while Kira simply handed Nicol his. "Is what she said true, Kira," Nicol asked.

"Yeah Nicol," Kira replied.

"I see." Nicol looked down for a moment, though whether it was in sadness or contemplation it was hard to say. They were both brought out of it when they heard Dearka calling out to Miriallia asking for clarification as he chased after her. The two then looked to each other before they both followed after Dearka as well.

"Exactly what I told you," Miriallia stated to Dearka after he finally caught up. "The Earth Forces are going to be attacking soon and the Archangel is going to be fighting back with the Autobots, and there isn't a good reason to keep you two on board anymore so get off."

"But I want to know why you guys decided to fight against the Earth Forces," Dearka then asked.

"Because Orb refused to join forces with the Earth Alliance," Miriallia replied.

"That's just nuts. Are Naturals really that stupid," Dearka then asked. Kira and Nicol both slapped their foreheads at Dearka for that comment and how he once again seemed to be itching for Miriallia to attack him.

"Who cares what you think?! When the fighting starts it's gonna get chaotic around here," Miriallia snapped. "I'm sorry but you and Nicol are both on your own."

Nicol just put a hand on Dearka's shoulder, silently telling him to shut up before he said anything stupid. The green haired boy then asked, "What about our mobile suits, the Buster and the Blitz?"

"Those were ours to begin with. Morgenroete has them now," Kira told them. Nicol nodded in understanding of that while Dearka's face just fell at that news.

Miriallia then turned to Dearka and smiled as she said, "I'm sorry things turned out this way Dearka."

Dearka just watched her go for a minute before he ran up and stopped her from going any further by grabbing her arm, leading Miriallia to spin around to face him. "Are…are you fighting too Miriallia?"

"I'd better be! I'm in charge of the Archangel's CIC," Miriallia stated as she pulled herself free. She then calmly stated, "Besides Orb is my homeland."

Dearka just watched her go for a moment, barely registering Kira saying goodbye to him or Nicol as he turned to return to his maintenance work on the Freedom, until Nicol finally tapped him on the shoulder. The blonde turned to see his piano loving friend throwing him a knowing smile as Nicol stated, "You know, we can't really just ignore something like this happening to a place as peaceful as Orb."

"Yeah I know," Dearka stated. "I mean, it's partially our fault that Heliopolis was destroyed, and I don't know about you Nicol, but I don't want Orb or anyone else fighting to defend it to follow after the space colony."

"In other words, you just don't want Miss Miriallia to die right," Nicol asked with a sly tone.

Dearka's face then gained a faint blush at that. "N-no, I just…I mean…," the blonde stuttered.

Nicol just laughed at his friend's predicament. "So you've gotten a little crush on the girl who tried to turn you into a pin cushion huh?"

"No I don't have a crush on her Nicol," Dearka half-shouted, but his intensifying blush was telling a whole different story.

Nicol just raised his hands in mock surrender before he told the blonde, "Either way, I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing to help Orb."

Dearka's blush then vanished as his usual smile returned as he told Nicol, "Then we best get moving Nicol. Let's go get our Gundams back."

As Nicol turned to follow after Dearka, who was already heading for the exit when he said that last part, he called out, "You know, you seriously need to tell me what is with this 'Gundam' thing you keep going on about whenever you talk about our mobile suits."

"I'll fill you in on the way, just get moving," Dearka called back, slipping into his pilot suit as he did.

The morning of the impending battle between Orb and the Earth Forces finally came, and everyone was almost instantly on edge from the moment they had woken up. On the Archangel's bridge, Murrue Ramius was looking out the window thinking over all that had happened when Mu La Flaga came up to her to talk to her about the recent events. "You know, the captain shouldn't look that depressed, especially after such an arousing moment like the one from the other day."

Murrue just nodded in consent of that, prompting Mu to continue. "All told, only eleven left the ship, and that's pretty incredible in and of itself. JOSH-A must've really pissed them off."

Murrue looked down for a moment before she finally asked something she needed to know the answer to for a while now. "Commander, there's something I want to know about JOSH-A. Why'd you return?"

Mu was taken aback by that for a moment before he let a sly smile come to his face as he replied. "Oh yeah. You're question just made me remember what I'd forgotten to do."

Before Murrue could ask what that was, she found herself wrapped in Mu's arms and with the blonde man's lips planted on her own. Naturally, Murrue was shocked by the former commander's bold move at first, but eventually she melted right into it and returned the kiss before the two pulled away. Murrue then gained a small blush as she softly stated, "You ought to know I really can't stand mobile armor pilots."

"Well I guess it's a good thing I'm a mobile suit pilot now," Mu pointed out, and soon enough, the two had embraced each other with another kiss. They stayed like that until a few of theArchangel's remaining crew members came up to the bridge and froze in shock with their jaws dropping to the floor at the sight of the two.

After what felt like an eternity, the hour of the Earth Forces' attack finally came, and it came with a bang as the Earth Forces fleet made the first move in the battle. Orb was quick to respond by intercepting the missiles headed towards the ships while the Astrays began heading out into battle as well.

"This is the Archangel, heading out," Murrue called out as soon as she heard that the battle had begun.

"This is Ratchet aboard the Omega II, rolling out," Ratchet then announced from the bridge of the Autobot ship. The other Autobots had split into multiple teams for their part of the battle. The three Wreckers would be doing their utmost to drive any enemies that made their way onto shore back and protect the evacuating civilians, while Optimus would be leading a team consisting of Bumblebee, Arcee, Jazz, Elita One, and Ironhide in the Autobots' main attack force, and Silverbolt and the Aerialbots would be the front line forces for aerial combat, leaving Ratchet to man theOmega II, using the ship to act as both support for all friendly forces and as a field medical station for the Autobots.

In no time at all, the Orb forces and the Autobots were engaging the enemy and shooting down the enemy missiles that threatened the neutral nation. Things seemed to be going as expected in the battle, even after a squadron of Earth Forces mobile suits tried to begin landing on one of the nation's islands, but then a small squadron of carriers appeared over Onogoro to drop some of mobile suits down on them from above. They did not seem to be a problem at first, but after a team of Orb mobile suits destroyed one Strike Dagger's weapon, the mobile suit simply raised its arm and shifted it into a blaster.

"What the…These mobile suits are able to use weapons like the Cybertronians can," one of the Orb soldiers shouted at the sight just before he took a hit from the Strike Dagger's blaster arm.

"Autobots engage the enemy," Optimus shouted as he whipped out his Energon Battle Axe. The last Prime's team quickly charged in, cutting down some Strike Daggers as they went, when they were suddenly ambushed from both bellow and above by a pair of Insecticon squadrons, led by none other than Kickback and Hardshell.

"Looks like Starscream didn't want to miss out," Jazz commented as he fired his Scatter Blaster at some of the Insecticon drones.

"Too bad I forgot my bug spray," Arcee added, firing a blast from her Plasma Cannon that took out three Insecticons just before she cut another one down with her arm blades.

"Less talking and more shooting," Ironhide shouted as he fired off a few rounds from his own guns, those being his default blaster and a Thermo Rocket Cannon.

"Kira Yamato, Freedom, let's do it," Kira's voice then called out as the blue winged Gundam blasted out of the Archangel and into the battle as well.

"Mu La Flaga, launching in Perfect Strike," Mu then announced as said mobile suit blasted into action a moment later, and thus the battle began to tip back into their favor. The only question was for how long would that last?

"Well it seems the Autobots did survive after all," Azrael commented with a small amount of impression.

"And it would also seem they now have some new friends, or should I say that they've recovered some old friends," Starscream mildly snarled as he looked at the image of the Aerialbots on the monitor he was viewing.

"Oh yes, and would you have any idea who they are? As far as I know, I don't recall there being any flying Autobots before," Azrael asked as he watched the Jet brothers transform from their Sky Grasper modes and blast some flying Insecticons out of the air along with some Earth Forces carriers before returning to their vehicle modes and blasting off towards their next targets.

"Unfortunately I do," Starscream half moaned overdramatically. "They are known as the only Autobot team that is completely composed of flyers, the Aerialbots. Those five you see are actually the main leaders of the team, and I am sad to say I was once a member along with my siblings until we had our eyes opened to the truth of what real power is. Oh if only I had snuffed Jetfire's spark eons ago on Cybertron, then we would have nothing to fear from them."

"And why is that?"

"Keep in mind Azrael; I did say that the Combaticons were not the only team of combiners out there," Starscream pointed out in a near menacing tone.

"Well then I guess our boys and Onslaught's team had better get out there as well shouldn't they?"

"Indeed they shou-," Starscream began to say, but he was quickly interrupted by Onslaught himself.

"We don't need you or the little pretty boy there to tell us to do anything Starscream! Silverbolt and his team are ours so just stay out of our way. Combaticons, engage the Aerialbots" Onslaught shouted just before the two watched the five combat specialists blasted off into the battlefield to meet their old foes.

"Oh well," Starscream commented with a shrug. "They do remember not to damage the Mass Driver or Morgenroete so it should be no problem to let them do as they like. Now that they are out there though, I had best join the battle myself."

"You're going out there," Azrael asked with honest confusion.

"A good commander is one who would not ask his forces to do any less than what he himself would do Director Azrael," Starscream replied smoothly as he assumed his jet mode and blasted off with Sharpshot not far behind him.

Needless to say, some of the Orb forces were having a bit of trouble fighting off the Strike Daggers, especially given the fact said mobile suits were able to use weapons similar to how Cybertronians used their default weapons, but with the Freedom on the battlefield taking out multiple targets at once, it was no problem to even things up quickly, especially with the added fire power of the Perfect Strike and the Autobot teams. That began to change as the Calamity and the Raider blasted onto the battle field and began to engage in battle with the Archangel, the Calamity's blasts taking out an Orb ship as it fired.

After jumping off of the Raider, the Calamity was quick to start firing all its blasters on the Orb forces that it could, a sight that did not go unnoticed by Dearka, who scowled feeling like that machine was an insult to the Buster, which also specialized in long range tactics.

Meanwhile, Kira had begun to fight against both the Raider and the Forbidden and it was pretty obvious that the two were not much of team players, but all the same, Kira was still having trouble since the suits themselves were still formidable, given the Raiders speed and the Forbidden's ability to deflect Kira's beam attacks, but just barely since they were powered by energon.

Optimus went to try and provide assistance to Kira, but was intercepted by none other than Starscream himself, as the traitorous Seeker whipped out his sword and met Prime's Battle Axe in battle. It did not escape Optimus's notice though, that the Combaticons had arrived on the battlefield, but thankfully the Aerialbots seemed to be handling their old foes fairly well for the moment. That was when he noticed the Archangel was about to be attacked by some Earth Forces fighter planes, but just before he or anyone else could order someone to provide assistance to the ship, a beam shot from the direction of the island took down both planes.

When everyone looked to the source, they all gasped in shock at the sight of the Buster with its rifles armed and aimed right at the Earth Forces, with the Blitz charging in to provide assistance. In no time at all, Dearka had shot down nearly an entire squadron of Earth Forces fighters before Nicol appeared on the Archangel after disengaging the Blitz's mirage colloid to finish the rest off, allowing the white ship the time it needed to fall back a bit to catch its breath.

It was clear that the battle was fairly evenly matched as everyone could see from just about any point on the battlefield that every person involved was locked in mortal combat against some powerful opponent. In the case of Silverbolt, it was his Combaticon counterpart, Onslaught as the two locked fists with each other. "You don't seem surprised to see us Silverbolt," Onslaught snarled.

"Given all the trouble you and your brutes of a team have given us, I'm actually surprised you didn't think I would be expecting to have to fight you again soon," Silverbolt retorted as he landed a hard kick into Onslaught's side.

"I suppose I have to give you that," Onslaught conceded. "But this time, we'll make sure you and your team are grounded permanently!" With that the two quickly charged each other once more.

Jetfire and Jetstorm would have moved to help their leader, but sadly they had the unfortunate pleasure of facing off against Blastoff and Vortex in an all-out dog fight. The two brothers were no slouches when it came to this kind of thing of course, in fact they were even better than the Seeker siblings of the Decepticons, but when up against opponents such as the two aerial Combaticons, even they had trouble.

The same problems were being face by all the Autobots as they were met with either more Insecticons or just doing their best to fend off Earth Forces soldiers and mobile suits. During the whole battle though, none of them were aware of the red machine and blue and gold jet that was hovering just a short ways away from them, watching the battle.

During the fighting, some people were still doing everything they could to escape Orb, as not all of the civilians were able to evacuate in time, and as such, the Wreckers took to making sure that the civilians made it to the transports safely as a top priority. One family in particular was running as fast as they could to reach the boats that would get everyone to safety, when the younger of the two children accidentally dropped her phone. Moving quickly when he saw that his little sister was not willing to leave it behind, the son quickly jumped down the hillside that the phone had fallen and scooped it up, none of them noticing an enemy machine was about to fire a blast in their direction. Thankfully, someone else did.

"Look out," A deep voice called out in fear to the four. The next thing any of them knew, the two parents and the little girl were scooped up by a large metal hand as a large green robot tumbled down the hill as well before scooping up the son and then turning into a dark green SUV. The vehicle then sped down the hillside just before a massive blast hit the point where the family had just been, screeching to a stop just at the docks, and changing back into a robot, with the family clutched safely in his hands.

The family looked up and all started to worry a bit when they saw the large green robot standing over them, when said robot spoke saying, "Don't worry, you're safe now."

The son then gasped as his eyes widened in shock at the realization that the robot was not a mobile suit, and then shook himself out of it before walking over to his sister and saying, "Hey Mayu, next time, try not to drop this okay?"

When Mayu saw that her big brother was holding her cell phone out to her, she squealed with joy as she accepted her phone and threw her arms around her older brother saying, "Thank you so much big brother! You're the best!"

The large green robot let out a small chuckle at seeing the interaction between the two siblings before he got the older one's attention saying, "Hey kid that was a pretty gutsy move you pulled back there, but it was also really good of you to look out for your sister like that. Truly worthy of a Wrecker if you ask me. By the way, my name's Bulkhead. What's yours?"

The boy looked up at Bulkhead to reveal crimson colored eyes under his messy black hair as he smiled and replied, "It's Shinn. Shinn Asuka."

Bulkhead nodded in reply to that before an explosion grabbed his attention. "Nice meeting you Shinn, but I've gotta get back in the fight. My own family needs me now, so do me a favor and keep yours safe alright?"

Shinn nodded with a mock salute as Bulkhead quickly spun around and raced back to the action, smashing a Strike Dagger with his wrecking ball as he went. Shinn could only stare after the large green Autobot in awe for a moment as his sister started tapping his arm to get his attention. When she finally had it, Shinn told her, "Mayu, I think I just figured out what I want to do in the future."

Back on the main battlefield, Kira and Optimus's two battles had become one and the same, as the two found themselves trading blows with both Starscream and the Raider and the Forbidden. If one were to watch the blue winged mobile suit and the last Prime as they fought against their opponents, they would tell you it was like watching two people fighting together like they had been fighting side by side their whole lives, but it was not making all that much difference against their opponents, and it was keeping them both from helping out the rest of their allies.

Everyone was doing their best, but at the moment Orb was losing ground and the Autobots could only do so much against the swarm of Insecticons and with the Combaticons occupying the Aerialbots. Just when it seemed like Starscream and the two new Earth Forces machines had the Freedom and Optimus right where they wanted them though, a flash of red appeared out of nowhere to save the Freedom and temporarily knock the Raider off balance, while a blue and gold blur slammed Starscream aside.

Neither Kira nor Optimus recognized the red mobile suit that was now fighting beside them, but they did recognize the familiar gold and blue form that changed from a jet into a robot instantly. They could not believe their eyes, but it was true. Dreadwing had just appeared before them and saved them, which could only mean that one person could be piloting the red mobile suit that was now moving to fight alongside Kira.

A fact that was soon confirmed by the pilot radioing the Freedom. "This is Z.A.F.T. special forces agent Athrun Zala. Do you read me Freedom, or should I say Kira Yamato," Athrun called out. Kira could only gasp in shock at this as he watched Athrun arm his mobile suit, the Justice, with a duel beam saber and charge at the Raider.

Kira then finally shook himself out of it as he pulled out one of the Freedom's beam sabers and joined in the battle as well as he called out, "What're you doing here? Have Z.A.F.T. and Megatron decided to stick their noses into this battle?"

"I haven't received any specific military orders regarding this battle," Athrun revealed. Athrun then charged as he shouted out, "This intervention is my decision alone!"

"And I stand by him in this battle," Dreadwing revealed. "Because today, I am not your enemy Optimus Prime. Today, I am your ally!" He then charged at Starscream, his sword at the ready, and slashed at the former second in command to Megatron. With those words said, Optimus and the Freedom charged into battle with Dreadwing and the Justice by their side. It was a sight that quickly drew everyone's attention. Some due to the fact that a mysterious new mobile suit had arrived to provide assistance to the Freedom and Optimus, and others because Dreadwing, a supposedly loyal Decepticon, was now fighting alongside one of his hated enemies.

Ironhide was quick to snap everyone back to the present. "Come on ya bunch of protoforms," the Autobot weapons specialist shouted as he took down a small squadron of Insecticons and Strike Daggers on his own. "We ain't got time to be watching Prime and the Freedom and their new friends, we've got other enemies to put holes in!"

With that, the Autobots were quick to recover and were soon charging in to action once more at full force, with Mu, Dearka, and Nicol right behind them, and the Orb forces mobile suits quickly following after. It was a brutal battle that ensued, with Aerialbots facing off with Combaticons, Autobots scrapping Insecticons, and the combined might of the Orb forces, the Perfect Strike, the Buster, and the Blitz tearing apart the Strike Daggers all while Optimus and Dreadwing faced off against Starscream and eventually Sharpshot alongside Kira and Athrun as they began to fight all three of the new Earth Forces machines.

Soon enough into the renewed battle though, something began to happen among the three new Earth machines and Dreadwing and Optimus quickly noticed it. "These guys…" Kira began.

"They don't give a damn about each other," Athrun exclaimed.

"No it's not that Athrun," Dreadwing told his young friend.

"They are fighting amongst themselves," Optimus finished. None of the four were sure what to do at that point, aside from making sure Starscream and Sharpshot did not try to take advantage of their temporary confusion, until suddenly the three machines suddenly began to withdraw back to the ship they came from. A moment later, a signal flare went up to order a temporary withdrawal to the Earth Forces. Starscream snarled in annoyance at this as he then called out, "Decepticons, fall back at once!"

With that said, Starscream returned to his jet mode and flew back to his new allies with the Insecticons close behind him and the Combaticons soon following, though more reluctantly. Once they had seen that their enemies had all left, the Freedom and Optimus turned to face the Justice and Dreadwing. The two pairs just remained there staring at one and other for a while until Kira finally spoke up. "Thanks for the backup you two, but I'm still wondering what exactly are your true intentions, and that goes for both of you," Kira stated.

Athrun sighed a bit before he opened his cockpit to allow Kira to see him as he told his old friend, "We're under orders from the homeland to either capture or destroy that machine you're flying right now, the Freedom, but I have no intention, at least for now, of fighting against either of you or your allies. I just want to talk, okay?"

Kira stared at his friend for another moment before he finally replied, "Okay Athrun."

Before anyone moved though, Optimus then asked, "And what of your intentions here Dreadwing? Do you intend to follow through with the mission that Megatron has assigned you and Athrun?"

Dreadwing was silent for a moment, until he raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and stating, "I have no intention of following Megatron's orders at this time Optimus Prime. At the moment, I merely wish to speak with you as well, if you will allow me. It is a matter that is of the utmost importance to me."

Optimus was silent for a brief time as he gazed at Dreadwing, trying to see if there was any sign of deceit in what the Decepticon warrior was saying. After he found none, Optimus merely nodded and moved to lead Dreadwing back to the shore along with Kira and Athrun.

It was sunset when the four finally landed, and everyone who was catching their breath from the battle was quick to notice them, and they all ran over to see what would happen. Elita raised her arms to signal the Autobots not to make any hasty actions as Murrue did the same for her ship's crew as Kira and Athrun both climbed down from their machines. After a moment, Kira and Athrun both began to move towards each other as Optimus and Dreadwing did the same.

Everyone suddenly began to find themselves on edge at this sight, to the point where some people even started to aim their guns at Athrun and Dreadwing. The two barely spared more than a small glance in their direction as they continued towards Kira and Optimus, while Kira and Optimus both raised a hand to signal them to stand down as Kira shouted out, "They're not enemies."

Finally, the four were all close enough to one and other to be within arm's reach, at which point they all came to a halt. They all stood there for a brief period in silence, until Birdie called out and landed on Kira's shoulder, bringing a smile to Kira's and Athrun's faces. Finally, Dreadwing extended a hand to Optimus that the Autobot leader gladly accepted, while Kira looked to his friend happily as he repeated his words from the cave they were once trapped in. "Hi Athrun."

Athrun returned the smile after a moment and replied in the same manner as he did before. "Kira."

Before anyone else could say anything, Cagalli rushed out to them and grabbed them both in a tight hug as she stated with a teary smile, "You guys…you're both idiots!"

Kira and Athrun could only look at the blonde girl strangely before they finally smiled to each other chuckling, while Optimus and Dreadwing looked down upon the scene after ending their handshake as Dreadwing commented, "Human femme are most certainly stranger than Cybertronian ones."

Optimus merely chuckled as he stated, "Indeed they are Dreadwing. Indeed they are."

"Oh so I'm suddenly strange am I," Elita asked in an all too sweet tone as she came up to Optimus from behind, instantly putting the last Prime on guard in fear for his life.

"I…I never said that," Optimus quickly stated nervously, praying that he would not suffer his sparkmate's wrath.

"You were implying it though, Orion," Elita told him, and now Optimus knew he was in trouble. The only times Elita ever referred to him by his old name was when they were having a romantic moment or when she was very pissed off with him or getting close to it.

"Uh, no I was not. Dreadwing was," Optimus quickly stated, jabbing a finger in Dreadwing's direction.

"Hey leave me out of it," Dreadwing stated, suddenly fearing for his own spark. Even among Decepticons, the stories of what Elita One would do to someone when she was angry were enough to cause any of them to fear for their existence. He once heard that even Megatron himself would quiver in fear of the idea of crossing paths with Elita One when she was angry, and that was saying something!

"You are already involved in this since it was you who got us into this," Optimus pointed out. Before the two could continue, they both found themselves wrapped in a welcoming hug by Elita as she chuckled a bit at the two of them.

"You're both idiots just as much as Kira and Athrun are," Elita stated.

At that point, everyone was either failing to suppress their laughter at the sight of the two powerful transformers quivering in fear of Elita One and of their shocked and confused looks at how that had ended, or just chuckling along with Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli at the sight of what had just happened. As Optimus and Dreadwing glanced at each other, they both knew they were thinking the exact same thing. What the Pits just happened?

A few hours later, Optimus had revealed to Dreadwing that everything about Megatron using his late brother, Skyquake, as a test subject for the dark engeron's ability to revive the dead was true. At the news of this, Dreadwing finally found himself unsure of what he should really do now that he knew the truth. He knew one thing for certain though; he had no intention of returning to Megatron now that he did know, and at the same time he knew that it was probably for the best that he remain with Athrun Zala until the young pilot was sure of what he should do now. With that in mind, they had soon found themselves standing off to the side as Kira and Athrun talked.

"But that's…," Athrun began after he heard what Kira told him.

"Yeah I know it's the most difficult way, but I'm also positive that there's really no other choice," Kira told Athrun as they were both given drinks by Cagalli, who had been smiling at the fact that the two were starting to become friends again for hours now.

"I believe that what Cagalli's father says is true," Kira continued. "If Orb were to side with the Earth Forces, the Atlantic Federation would take advantage of its power and attack the PLANTs, and the same thing would happen if Orb sided with Z.A.F.T. The only difference would be in which country they were designated as the enemy, but either way there'd be no change for the better. I can't let it go on like that, and that's the reason why…"

"But you…," Athrun began to point out.

Kira smiled at Athrun for a moment before he looked down sadly as he replied, "I know. I killed a comrade of yours, a personal friend, but I never knew them or met the guy, and it's not as if I wanted to kill him."

"Her," Athrun corrected. At Kira's questioning glance, Athrun elaborated saying, "The person was a girl. Her name was Jaylen."

"Oh sorry," Kira quickly apologized. Athrun just waved it off before letting Kira continue. "And you killed Tolle, but you never knew him either. You didn't want to kill him right?"

Athrun and the others barely registered Miriallia's gasp in shock as the conversation continued, with Dearka being the only exception. "No," Athrun replied sadly. "But I tried my hardest to kill you."

"Same here," Kira told him, getting Athrun's shocked attention once more. "Look Athrun, it would be great if we lived in a world where we never had to fight. If only we could live in that world forever, but this war keeps escalating."

"That's putting it mildly," Ironhide muttered, getting an elbow in the side from Elita, telling him to shut up and listen.

"If it goes on like this, the PLANTs and the Earth will have no choice but to destroy each other, and that's why I've decided to fight," Kira finished.

"Kira," Athrun gasped.

"I just wanted to protect others, but now that I've pulled the trigger it's too late to go back." Kira then asked Athrun an all-important question. "Are we gonna have to fight each other?"

Athrun gasped in shock at that, wanting to say no so much, but found he could not for some reason. Kira smiled, seeing this fact in Athrun's eyes before stating that he had to get back to work. Before he left though, Athrun stood up and stated, "I have one question. The Freedom is equipped with an Energon Reactor Core, so what would happen if that data…?"

Kira gave Athrun a reassuring smile as he told him confidently, "If anyone tried to get that data from me for their own purposes, I'd shoot them."

Athrun nodded in acceptance of that and Kira then continued on his way. Seeing that things were wrapped up here, the Autobots began to disperse as well, going back to their own duties to prepare for the next attack. As they did, Athrun overheard Dearka attempting to cheer up Miriallia, but ultimately fail as she ran off with the blonde doing his best to make up for his stumble. As he watched this, he heard someone start chuckling and turned to see his friend Nicol was the one laughing at Dearka's predicament.

When he saw Athrun giving him a questioning look, Nicol just stated, "A lot has happened to us since we last saw you Athrun, and one of those things being Mister Smooth Talker Dearka developing a crush on that girl Miriallia."

Athrun could only stare at Nicol for a moment, before he too started to find himself laughing along with the green haired boy. "Pretty ironic huh, considering how often he made fun Yzak's supposed relationship with that one girl in our graduating class. What was her name again," Athrun then asked.

"Don't remember. I didn't have that many classes with her," Nicol replied.

"Yeah same here." As soon as they had finished that discussion, Nicol saw a familiar individual that he felt he really needed to talk to and excused himself to go do so.

"Hey excuse me," Nicol called out to Bumblebee, getting the scout's attention. As soon as he saw he had it, Nicol sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he asked, "You're Bumblebee right?"

The scout nodded with an affirmative beep in reply, prompting Nicol to continue. "I just wanted to say thank you. You saved my life in a previous battle."

Bumblebee let out a series of beeps that Nicol only figured were ones of confusion until Cagalli walked up translating, "He asked you what battle that was."

After staring at her in confusion as to how Cagalli could understand the scout, and getting a casual shrug in reply, Nicol turned back to Bumblebee to answer the scout's question. "It was the one we had against you and the Archangel just after you guys had left Orb. I was the pilot of the Blitz," Nicol explained, elaborating as much as he could in case it would help.

Bumblebee then gave a few beeps and whirs of recognition to what Nicol was talking about and then told Nicol something that Cagalli then translated saying, "He said that he remembered now and that your welcome. He was really only doing his job as an Autobot, protecting lives and all that."

Nicol nodded in understanding and stated, "All the same thank you. Oh my name's Nicol by the way. Nicol Amalfi."

Bumblebee returned the greeting with a series of beeps that Cagalli translated to mean, "It's nice to meet you Nicol."

"Likewise," Nicol replied. Before long, Nicol had moved off to run some maintenance on the Blitz, because he already knew what he was going to do when the enemy returned.

A few hours later, Athrun and Cagalli were standing off to the side watching everyone else hard at work, or just watching Kira, as Athrun finally asked, "Why are you sticking so close to me?"

"Don't mind me," Cagalli replied. "I'm just standing guard."

"So I see," Athrun told her with a knowing smile.

"You must be relieved that Kira's alive," Cagalli then commented with a smile of her own.

"Yeah," Athrun told her. He then paused for a moment before saying, "You know I didn't really thank you properly before."

"Sure you did. Definitely…well kind of," Cagalli tried to insist.

"Are you sure?"

"You weren't really yourself. Maybe you don't remember," Cagalli stated, turning away so that Athrun could not see her face.

Athrun let out a small chuckle as he replied, "Yeah."

The two then fell silent for another moment before Cagalli asked, "Kira's changed, don't you think?"

Athrun thought about it for a moment before saying, "No. He's the same as he always was."

Athrun then moved to head for the Justice before Cagalli stopped him asking, "So what're you going to do about this?"

Athrun looked down for a moment before replying, "I don't know."

"Ugh, not again," Cagalli moaned as she placed a hand to her head.

"But," Athrun then continued. "Maybe…I already know the answer. It's a tough choice."

Cagalli watched Athrun go for a moment before she glanced down stating, "For us all."

Athrun was then stopped in his tracks when he saw a certain blue Autobot femme walking over to him and kneel down to his level with a threatening look. "Listen closely Athrun Zala," Arcee told him with a slightly menacing tone in her voice just to make sure she had his attention. "I'm telling you right now, you hurt Cagalli in any way, and I will be introducing you to the business end of both my blades and my blasters, got it?"

Athrun felt his face go crimson at that, as it did not take him long to understand what Arcee was meaning when she said that, and he was not the only one. "Arcee I heard that," Cagalli shouted. "For the last time, my relationship with Athrun is not like that!"

Arcee just smirked. "I don't hear you denying that there is a relationship."

"I…you…you know what I meant! Would you please stop making fun of something that doesn't exist?!"

"Sorry little sister, but it's only fair that I get to pick on you for this after all the times you've been teasing me about my so-called relationship with Bumblebee."

"So why can't you leave me out of this? I never once made fun of you two," Athrun demanded.

"I need to pay you back for all the times you attacked us somehow now that you're not an enemy, and besides you're the one she's got a thing for. Like the old saying goes, all's fair in love and war," Arcee told him, her smirk getting bigger by the minute.

Much to the embarrassment of both Athrun and Cagalli, it continued on like that for a while, and neither one of them knew that they were just giving a good show to a certain two individuals. The first being Kira, who was doing his best not to laugh his head off as he worked, and the other being Bumblebee as he just chuckled at the fact he was enjoying the show of his girl getting her pay back on the blonde. Wait, my girl?! Where did that come from?!

It was early sunrise when Azrael had finally asked for a status report on the preparations. When he had heard Orb had sent repeated requests for reopening negotiations, Azrael simply shrugged it off like it was meaningless and stated that it would be best if Orb just disappeared. At that, the captain of the ship he was on informed him that the only concern they had was with "his people", namely the pilots of the Calamity, the Raider, and the Forbidden, but Azrael assured him that they most likely would not be much trouble this time around. It was a confidence that was just barely shared by a certain sky commander.

Starscream was honestly not that big a fan of the biological computers, as he learned that the three pilots were referred to as, but he would not deny that when they were actually doing their jobs then they were an effective unit. All the same, this time around Starscream was not willing to take any chances and intended to go in full blast right from the start this time. A fact he made crystal clear to Azrael.

"Are you sure that is for the best," Azrael asked just before they redeployed their forces.

"Positive," Starscream replied. "While you may simply say that the first battle was to gauge the enemy's strengths and to give those pilots of yours a dry run or whatever terms you used in reference to them, I had my forces actually doing so. Now that we know the Autobots' full strength and what Orb is now capable of, I don't intend to have my forces hold anything back."

"But what would happen if your forces accidentally ended up destroying one of the two targets that we need intact? I'd say that would be a pretty large black mark on our alliance Commander Starscream," Azrael pointed out.

"As black a mark as being the leader of Blue Cosmos," Starscream inquired. "Or how about consorting with the enemy as I know you have done. Namely with one Rau Le Creuset."

That shut Azrael up, and brought a frown to his face. Clearly the blonde had underestimated just what the sky commander was capable of. Seeing that his work was done and he had made his point, Starscream simply chuckled before transforming to follow after his forces as they charged into battle once more.

The alert of the enemy attack recommencing came as quickly as possible to Orb, but seeing as they had not had any of their requests for reopening negotiations replied to, it was still infuriating to them. It seemed that the Atlantic Federation had now decided that anyone declared an enemy was not even worth listening to now. With this in mind, everyone quickly moved to return to the battle. Kira himself was heading for the Freedom when he heard Athrun call out to him, causing him to pause for a moment.

"From the looks of things, there's no way Orb can win this fight," Athrun stated. "You know that don't you?"

"…Yeah I think we all realize that," Kira replied with an understanding smile. "But just because the odds are against us, doesn't mean we should give up fighting and let them do whatever they want to us, now does it?"

Athrun tried to protest against this, but it was clear Kira was not going to hear of it. "The important thing is to know what we're fighting for, and that's why I'm going out there. Of course, I'd rather not fight if I can help it, but there's some things you can't protect without fighting." Kira then began his ascent to the Freedom's cockpit as he continued to give Athrun an understanding look. "I'm sorry Athrun, and thank you. I'm glad I had this chance to talk with you."

Athrun could not say anything more as he watched his friend climb into the Freedom and head out into the battle once more. He stood there for another moment before he heard someone call out, "Tough choice isn't it?"

Athrun turned to see both Dearka and Nicol standing behind him, both suited up for action once more. "Your orders are to take that thing back right," Dearka then continued, being the one who had called out. At Athrun's silence, the blonde just sighed as he stated, "It's not gonna go over very well. We're Z.A.F.T. soldiers and if we keep intervening like this…"

Dearka let that hang for a moment as he discreetly gauged what Athrun's response would be to what he had said. After a moment of clenching his fist, Athrun finally stated, "I don't want him to…I don't want any of them to die!"

Dearka then smiled in true happiness as he walked up and placed a hand on Athrun's shoulder as he said, "Now that is amazing. For the first time, all three of us agree on something."

Athrun looked at Dearka in confusion for a moment before he finally got what the blonde was hinting at. He then glanced to Nicol as the green haired boy simply nodded before strapping on his helmet. Athrun finally nodded back with a smile of his own, and the three friends all quickly headed for their own mobile suits.

Watching this unfold from nearby was Dreadwing, and the Decepticon was suddenly wondering what he should do now more than ever. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not even notice someone approaching him until the individual placed a hand on his shoulder. Dreadwing spun around to find himself face to face with Elita One who simply told him, "I get that you want to look out for Athrun, but whatever you decide to do should be something of your own choice. Whether you actually become an Autobot or just our ally, we'll be glad to have you fighting with us, just know that if you really want to honor Skyquake then you should make a decision that is yours and yours alone, or don't. It's all up to you."

Having said her piece, the sparkmate of the last Prime then picked up her newly resupplied TechVolt and quickly transformed into her convertible car mode before racing out to catch up with the rest of the Autobots who had already rushed out into the battle along with everyone else. Dreadwing watched her go before he looked down, pondering her words through his processor, and as he did so he was reminded of the words Lacus Clyne had spoken to him when she asked if seeking revenge was the only way he could regain his honor, and of other times when she had spoken to him as well. After a short amount of time, merely a few minutes after Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol had headed out in their mobile suits, Dreadwing looked up, a determined expression on his face, and made his decision.

As soon as all of Orb's defenders had headed out to engage the enemy, the battle had become as evenly matched as it had the previous day, and with the three mobile suits of the Earth Forces fighting more efficiently this time around, it was pretty obvious things were not going to be getting any easier for the heroes of Orb. That did not mean that they were not going to put out their best in the fight though, a fact that proved to be true when the Archangel and Omega II landed a series of successful hits on the enemy ships, eliminating them from the battle at once. Seeing that their work was successful in that area, the two ships quickly moved to line up for their next targets and avoid the enemy fire that was headed their way, but not before the Omega IIsuffered damage to one of its cannons that rendered the weapon inoperable.

"I needed that," Ratchet called out as he had the Autobot ship return fire in earnest. Now when he said that to one of the Autobots, they merely got a scolding and sometime a hit from the medical 'Bot's wrench, but when he said that to an enemy it was a very different story. This proved to be true as he put down a heavy barrage on the ship responsible for the damage to theOmega II, leaving the targeted vessel all but devastated in minutes. With his handiwork done, Ratchet left the ship with the parting words, "And stay broken!"

"Whew. Remind me to be more careful around Ratchet's tools from now on, or the very least to never end up being on opposite sides as him," Mu commented from the Perfect Strike as he had the machine fire its large cannon at incoming Strike Daggers and Insecticons. This statement was quickly agreed upon by everyone who heard him.

In no time at all, the number of enemy units was quickly reduced though, thanks to the arrival of the Freedom as it burst onto the battle field, with the Aerialbots not too far behind. The three Earth Forces mobile suit pilots did not miss the blue winged mobile suit's arrival as the Calamity's eagerly chuckled, "There's the hot shot we fought yesterday."

Instantly, the three were surrounding Kira to take him down from all sides, a fact that Kira was not enjoying at all, and the fact that Starscream and Sharpshot were right alongside them was not all that helpful. Thankfully Optimus had raced out to help Kira by dealing with the two 'Cons as soon as he saw Kira in trouble, but as far as actual help went, it was not all that effective. It seemed that they would not make much headway, until someone blasted the three mobile suits from multiple directions using two beam shots and a beam boomerang, while Starscream and Sharpshot were assaulted by a barrage from above.

Looking to the sources, Kira and Optimus both saw the Justice and Dreadwing arriving on the battle field ready to join them in the fight. "All three of us completely understood what you meant Kira. If there are things in this world you want to protect sometimes you've got to fight for them," Athrun called out.

"And I have no intention of standing against you any longer Optimus Prime. I am not saying I'm joining your kind as an Autobot, but I refuse to stand by and let such plots and devious beings such as Starscream and Megatron do as they wish any longer," Dreadwing called out as he transformed and whipped out his sword.

The words of the two were further reinforced by the Blitz and the Buster coming to the aid of the Perfect Strike and the Archangel respectively. Soon enough, the Freedom and the Justice were back to back alongside Optimus and Dreadwing. "Let's kick ass," Dreadwing and Athrun called out.

Kira and Optimus both smiled at the two and nodded in agreement, and the four charged into battle together. This was an action that was mirrored by Starscream's forces as the Combaticons appeared before Orb's defenders once more. With that, the fighting began to tip in the favor of Orb's defenders, but just barely.

Watching all this from close by was a Z.A.F.T submarine that was currently under the command of Rau Le Creuset. They were really only there in case Z.A.F.T. were to receive a request of assistance from Orb, though thus far they had received none, but many of them were unsure of whether or not Orb really needed it. This fact was only reinforced by the fact that the Autobots were on the battlefield fighting with Orb's forces.

At this point they were only remaining where they were for two reasons. The first was to gather data on the forces that Starscream had gathered and on the three unknown mobile suits of the Earth Forces. The second was one that was only known to Rau Le Creuset himself, and one other individual that was aboard the ship. At the moment though, as the masked soldier made his way through the submersible ship, he felt that there was another matter he should address. One that concerned the silver haired individual following shortly behind him.

"Yzak you look somewhat distressed," Le Creuset commented as he turned to face Yzak. "I'm guessing you'd like to jump into that battle and join the fighting."

"No," Yzak denied, a little too quickly though.

"The Orb government has refused all offers of aid from Z.A.F.T.," the commander reminded his only remaining subordinate. "So we've no choice."

"I am not interested," Yzak insisted.

"We'll stay and observe the battle for a bit longer, after which we'll return to Carpentaria," Le Creuset stated as he moved to continue on his way. Yzak gave a small nod in understanding at this, but still felt that there was something he wanted to address with his commander.

"Commander," Yzak called out, getting Le Creuset to pause once more and look to him to ask him what he wanted. "What's the deal with that girl sir? If she's a prisoner then shouldn't she be treated like one?"

Yzak was of course referring to Flay Allster, who Le Creuset had brought aboard after the battle of JOSH-A. Ever since then, the girl had only made one move against any of the Z.A.F.T. soldiers aboard, and that was when she was in Le Creuset's office at which point she had once again raised a gun at the masked man, only to find herself unable to shoot it. After that point, Flay had been given a standard Z.A.F.T. uniform and had pretty much become something of a secretary type of assistant to Le Creuset, hence the reason for Yzak's question. Flay was definitely not being treated like a prisoner, but rather, if anything, she was being treated like a guest.

Le Creuset simply scoffed at the question and replied, "Yzak, there's more to fighting a war than shooting guns." At Yzak's continued confusion, Le Creuset elaborated a bit more by stating, "Let's just say I've been looking for a key, and now I've found it. At least I hope so."

Feeling that he had answered Yzak's question adequately, Le Creuset then walked off, leaving Yzak to stare after the masked man as he thought to himself, I've officially got one of the weirdest commanders in Z.A.F.T.

What Yzak did not know, was that Le Creuset had gone to the large hangar of the sub to meet with Soundwave, who had surprisingly come along on this mission with them at Megatron's orders for a special mission. When Chairman Zala and Le Creuset asked why Soundwave was being sent, Megatron had stated that the mission was one that only the Decepticon intelligence specialist could carry out. "Well," Le Creuset asked as soon as Soundwave turned to face him.

Soundwave merely answered by motioning to a figure that was hidden within the shadows just enough for only the two of them to see, and upon seeing the sight of this figure, Le Creuset could only smirk as he saw that Soundwave's mission was indeed a success.

As the battle for Onogoro raged on, the Combaticons were quick to get to the center of the action, allowing their leader to analyze the situation. Onslaught barely even needed to look around before he came to his conclusion on what needed to be done. "We need to take this island now! Starscream," Onslaught called out.

"Oh by all means Onslaught," Starscream replied as he parried Optimus's Battle Axe with his sword. "Don't let me try to stop you."

"Very well then," Onslaught stated. The leader of the Combaticons then turned to his four brothers in arms and gave one simple order. "Combaticons, combine into Bruticus!"

The response was instant, as expected of a well trained military force, as Swindle and Brawl quickly assumed their vehicle forms and raced over to Onslaught's position, spinning around as they both changed into a large leg. Onslaught then leapt into the air as he assumed his vehicle mode as well, only for it to change into a torso with a black head before landing atop the two legs. Following after this, Blast Off and Vortex were quick to fly up to the shoulders of the large behemoth and became its arms as soon as they had attached to it. Everyone that was not familiar with this ability of the Combaticons could only look up in either awe or fear as the large, metal monstrosity rose to stand up straight and shouted out, "Bruticus ONLINE!"

In the Orb command center, Cagalli and Kisaka could barely believe their eyes at what they were seeing when the massive being was formed. True they had heard of what combiners could do from Optimus, but hearing about it and seeing it were two very different things, especially when it was an enemy providing the sight.

"Dear god," Kisaka gasped.

"That thing…is a monster," Cagalli whispered in fear.

Bruticus then reared his right fist back as energy began to charge up into his fist, which meant one thing that the Autobots nearby knew very well. "Everyone, fall back! Get clear NOW," Ironhide shouted as he and the other Autobots in the line of fire raced to avoid what was coming. Thankfully, everyone else that was nearby was just as quick to react, but most of them were not so lucky to avoid the massive shockwave that came as soon as Bruticus slammed his fist into the ground.

Though the burst traveled across the ground in a straight line, it was still powerful enough to encompass anything close to its route, as several people quickly found out as their mobile suits quickly went down and a number of the Autobots were sent flying, including Ironhide. The weapons specialist was just barely able to land on his feet, only to find that probably was not the best thing for him at the moment and end up crashing on his left side.

"Ironhide," Nicol cried out as he and Arcee quickly ran over to provide cover for him. As the three began shooting off rounds at the flight type Insecticons or Bruticus, Arcee quickly noticed that she did not need to be a medical specialist of any kind to know that Ironhide's leg was seriously damaged. "Arcee to Omega II, Ironhide's been hit! I need an immediate med-evac now!"

"I'm fine," Ironhide tried to insist, but his argument quickly died in his throat as he grunted in pain when he tried to rise. "Okay, maybe not fine."

Arcee just ignored Ironhide in favor of Ratchet's approaching medical expertise, but to her surprise, it never came. "Arcee to Omega II, Ratchet do you copy? Ratchet!" Arcee received no response what-so-ever, and threw a quick glance at the Autobots' faithful ship to see it just sitting there as though it were dead in the water.

"What's wrong," Nicol asked as the Blitz launched a missile at some opponents.

"Ratchet's not responding," Arcee replied as she quickly moved to radio someone else instead. "Optimus this is Arcee. I think something's wrong on the Omega II. I've lost contact with Ratchet."

Optimus quickly used his Battle Axe to push Starscream's blade aside and knocked the Seeker back before responding, "Acknowledged. Optimus to any available Aerialbots, we need to get someone aboard the Omega II at once."

"I'll handle it Optimus," Elita said as she landed a hard kick to an Insecticon. "As the only other medical officer of our unit, it'd be best if I were to return to the ship in case something has happened to Ratchet."

"Understood," Optimus agreed. "Aerialbots…?"

"This is Wing Saber, I heard everything and I'm already enroute," Wing Saber shouted out. The moment he was passing overhead, Elita took a massive jump and landed onto his back. The two then flew directly over the Omega II, before Elita hopped off of Wing Saber and onto the massive yellow vessel. She had to blast some 'Cons out of her way with the TechVolt, but all the same Elita made it aboard the ship in no time at all.

When she reached the bridge though, Elita was greeted with a terrible sight. "Optimus, the bridge has been trashed. It's almost like there was a fight on board the ship itself," Elita called out.

"And Ratchet," Optimus asked as he and Dreadwing opened fire on their opponents with their blasters.

"…There's no sign of him at all," Elita stated. This was not news that Optimus wanted to hear, nor any other Autobot, but all the same they could not let that distract them now.

"Elita, take command of the ship in Ratchet's place," Optimus ordered. After acknowledging the order, Elita quickly worked to get Ironhide aboard so she could give him enough medical treatment to ensure he could at least help fire the ship's guns.

While that was going on, Bruticus was about to get a visit from one Autobot in particular, who wanted to pay a visit to his old opponent from the battle for the Ark. "Hey Bruticus, choke on this," Jazz called out as he used his grapple to swing up onto the large Decepticon's shoulder and fired several rounds from his Scatter Blaster into Bruticus's face.

"Why you! Bruticus smash Jazz," Bruticus roared as he swatted Jazz off of him like a fly, and then brought up his spinning blade shield.

"Oh no, nononono, no. There is no way I'm going near that thing," Jazz stated, knowing what Bruticus's shield could do to him. "Hey Wing Saber, you done playing public transport so you can help your team give me a hand here, or do you need another minute?"

"We're already moving into position now Jazz," Wing Saber reported. "We're just waiting for a go ahead."

"There's no time for that now," Optimus shouted as he and Kira blasted their opponents back while Dreadwing and Athrun both sliced at theirs.

"Understood sir," Silverbolt stated. With that said, all five Aerialbots quickly flew into a V-shape formation with Silverbolt at the forefront, as the leader of the Autobot flyers unit gave his own command. "Aerialbots! Combine into Superion!"

At that order, Jetfire and Jetstorm quickly blasted ahead of the others and transformed into legs just as Swindle and Brawl had just moments earlier, hitting the ground with a loud boom. Immediately following this, Silverbolt's space shuttle form shifted into a torso with a gold faced head that had silver horns and blue optics, and connected to the two legs. Immediately following this, Air Raid and Wing Saber transformed into a left and right arm respectively before attaching to the torso themselves. This time when everyone looked up in awe, it was the Earth Forces who were fearful as the Autobot combiner called out, "Superion online and ready for action!"

Bruticus did not miss the appearance of his old rival and quickly charged at Superion, which the Autobot combiner was quick to meet with a loud battle cry. At the sight of the two titans of titans clashing, it seemed that the battle for Orb was quickly turning even once more, until the three Earth Forces machines found themselves forced to fall back in order to resupply. At that point, the Autobots and the Archangel received orders from Lord Uzumi that all surviving forces were to fall back Kaguya, where Orb's mass driver facilities were located, with the two ships leading them.

Superion acknowledged the orders and quickly hit Bruticus hard in the side and blasting the Decepticon back with pair of laser cannons that were mounted on his right arm before shouting out, "Go Autobots, I'll cover you!"

Optimus sent Superion his thanks and then ordered the Autobots to fall back to the Omega II before retreating to Kaguya with the Archangel. None of them could even begin to guess what Lord Uzumi had planned for when they arrived.

"Leave Orb," Murrue asked in shock. "Lord Uzumi are you telling us to just run away?"

It certainly seemed that way, for as soon as the Archangel and Omega II had reached the mass driver station, the white ship's commanders, Optimus, Kira, Cagalli, Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol had come to speak with Lord Uzumi about what his plan was, and this was it. "I'm sure you've realized by now Orb is already lost. It's only a matter of time before it falls."

While everyone could not deny that this was true, it did not mean that they wanted to say it aloud, least of all Cagalli. "Wh-what're you saying father," the blonde asked, barely believing her ears.

Uzumi simply lowered his head for a moment before continuing. "Our people have been evacuated. They'll be taken care of elsewhere." He then raised his head before facing his daughter and those around the two of them. "From now on we'll bear the responsibility."

Cagalli gasped in shock, quickly beginning to get an idea of what that would mean, but she did not interrupt as her father continued, "But even if we must lose Orb, there are some things we must never give up. The Earth Forces' present actions are being guided by the leader of Blue Cosmos, Murruta Azrael. To make matters worse, the PLANTs are led by someone who believes that Coordinators are a new species, for Patrick Zala leads them now."

Everyone could only softly gasp at the thought of the leader of the terrorist organization playing such a major role in commanding the Earth Forces, but at hearing of what Patrick Zala was doing, Athrun could only look down in shame while Kira, Nicol, Dearka, and Dreadwing gave him sympathetic glances.

"The way things are developing, the world will be trapped between two forces that refuse to accept each other's existence. Is this the future you want to see? If you desire a different world, take this small light of hope that we have kindled and use it to set a course for a new future." Lord Uzumi paused only for a second to give them all a sympathetic look before he continued. "It means a hard road again, but I'm sure you understand why it's necessary Murrue Ramius, Optimus Prime."

Optimus remained silent as he simply nodded in response to this, while Murrue looked confidently at Uzumi as she stated, "That light may be small but it burns brightly. We believe in it as well."

"Then I suggest you get ready," Lord Uzumi told them. With that, and a final yes sir from Murrue, everyone quickly left to prepare for the launches that were coming, until only Lord Uzumi, Cagalli, and Optimus were left in the room they were all meeting in. Lord Uzumi then turned to his daughter and asked, "Cagalli, could you give us a minute? There is something I wish to speak to Optimus about in private."

Cagalli hesitated before she finally nodded in consent and left, leaving the two leaders alone. Before Lord Uzumi could say anything though, Optimus spoke up saying, "I know what you are planning Lord Uzumi, and I must insist you think of another way. You do not have to remain behind, and you still have a daughter who needs you."

Lord Uzumi lowered his head with his eyes for a moment before he raised it again and looked Optimus right in the eye as he replied, "I have thought of every way possible Optimus, but I'm afraid that this is our best option. It truly breaks my heart knowing that I will be leaving Cagalli like this, but if I want to ensure a better future for her then I must do this. I believe that Cagalli has reached the age where she does not need me as much as she once used to anymore, but if you will allow me to, I have one request of you that might seem rather selfish of me."

Optimus looked deeply into Lord Uzumi's eyes, and saw that the man before him was begging that the last Prime at least hear his request, so he simply nodded in consent to allow the leader of Orb to speak his request. "When she does need a father figure in her life, I would like to ask that you take on that role in my stead. I know that may be asking a bit much, but I believe that even though she will not need a father figure as much in the future, it will help Cagalli to have one of some kind, and I can think of no one better suited for the task than you, Optimus Prime."

Optimus paused for a moment to consider this request, before he finally nodded saying, "I swear to you by the Matrix and by Primus's spark Lord Uzumi that I and all of the Autobots will be there for Cagalli when she needs us."

Lord Uzumi gave Optimus a grateful smile and then bowed to the large red and blue Autobot as he said, "Thank you. Thank you so much Optimus Prime. I know that Cagalli will face difficult times ahead, but I now know for certain that she will never be alone. She will be with you, with her big sister, Arcee, and most importantly, she will be with her brother."

Optimus looked at Lord Uzumi in confusion for a moment, before a look of realization dawned on his face, as he realized what he meant by that. Following this, Optimus nodded in understanding and then told the leader of Orb, "Lord Uzumi Nara Athha, the Lion of Orb. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Lord Uzumi nodded at Optimus in thanks for that and remembered something that Ratchet once told him served as a type of farewell among the Autobots, which led him to say, "Till all are one Optimus Prime."

Optimus nodded and replied, "Till all are one…my friend." With that, Optimus turned to leave the building and return to the Omega II, knowing that the battles that now lay ahead of them, were to be their most difficult and challenging yet, and would require them all to be much more than meets the eye than ever before.

As everyone finished with the preparations for their departure, Optimus had the Autobots prepare themselves for a battle to cover the Archangel and the Omega II, which would be able to use the mass driver as well if they were to maneuver the ship a little ways just above the tracks enough to make it effective without the massive ship crushing the driver beneath its weight. Knowing that a battle was approaching, Optimus decided it be best if the Buster and the Blitz board the Archangel and launch with them first, while the only Autobots who remained would be himself and Superion, along with Dreadwing, Kira, and Athrun. Superion would break away from the battle just before the Omega II reached maximum launch speed while the remaining four would handle everything else and board the Kusanagi as it launched into space.

As soon as the alert of approaching enemies sounded, the Archangel quickly moved to take off and in no time at all, the white ship was blasting off through the atmosphere and back into space. The Calamity moved to fire on the ship as it retreated while Bruticus prepared his own weapons to strike at the Omega II, but before they could make a move, they found themselves under attack by the Freedom and the Justice and Superion, Optimus, and Dreadwing respectively.

In the battle that ensued, Optimus was utilizing the jet pack he had acquired from the Omega II to its fullest extent while Dreadwing provided him support when necessary, with Superion matching Bruticus blow for blow but not going all out enough to actually put up more than a defensive fight. As soon as the Aerialbot combiner saw the Omega II was nearly at maximum launch speed, he broke off combat with Bruticus by hitting him hard enough with both of his arm cannons and knocking the Decepticon into stasis, and then separated into the five Aerialbots once more to race aboard the Omega II. As soon as Silverbolt and his team were aboard, the Omega II blasted into the space right behind the Archangel, leaving only Kira, Athrun, Optimus, Dreadwing, and the Kusanagi left to head out.

Cagalli was begging as hard as she could for her father to come with them, but Lord Uzumi's mind was already made up, and he told Kisaka to go and take Cagalli with him as he pushed the blonde through the Kusanagi's hatch. Lord Uzumi placed a hand atop Cagalli's head one last time as he told her, "You're leaving your father, but you will not be alone Cagalli. You will be with Optimus, who has sworn to be there for you when I am not should you ever need a father figure. You will be with Arcee, whom you consider an older sister, and you will be with one other as well."

He then reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a photograph that he handed to his daughter as he finished what he was telling her. "You'll be with your brother."

Cagalli looked at her father in confusion before accepting the photo. Looking at it, she saw the image of a woman holding two babies, one with a small amount of blonde hair, and the other with brown hair. Cagalli then flipped the photo over to see two names written on the back that gave her an unbelievable shock. The names written there, the names of the two babies in the picture, were hers and Kira's.

Kira…is my brother, the blonde thought. Cagalli could not believe her eyes, and simply gasped in shock as she looked at her father with a look that went with it, which Lord Uzumi responded to with a simple nod. "I feel very fortunate, to have been your father," Lord Uzumi told Cagalli as the door to the ship closed. Lord Uzumi then called out, "Fly Kisaka! Roll out Optimus Prime! I'm counting on you both!"

The Kusanagi then blasted down the mass driver, taking its passengers with it. When Optimus noticed this, he quickly called out, "Kira, Athrun, Dreadwing! It's time for us to go!"

"Right," the three replied in unison. With that they all flew directly for the Kusanagi with the Freedom and Dreadwing landing on the ship first. As soon as the two had a firm grip on the ship, they both spun around and reached out to the Justice and Optimus so that they could grab their hands. For a moment, it seemed that the two would not make it, but with one last hard push, the Justice and Optimus were able to grasp the hands of the Freedom and Dreadwing, allowing the two to pull them aboard with them.

"Thank you Dreadwing," Optimus stated.

"You…are welcome Optimus," Dreadwing replied, still not quite used to the fact he was now fighting alongside the Autobots. "But thank me after we deal with the trash following us."

"We won't need to," Optimus revealed. A moment later, Kira and Athrun nodded to each other, catching onto what Optimus was stating, and armed their mobile suits with all of their long range weapons that they could. With one powerful burst from all the weapons, the two were able to throw their three pursues off and the Kusanagi was able to fly swiftly into space, leaving Onogoro and Orb behind.

Seeing that the last of the three ships had lifted off, Lord Uzumi nodded to his fellow representatives of Orb and stated, "The seeds have flown. We've succeeded! We can't leave Orb or this world in the hands of those bastards."

With that said, Lord Uzumi flipped a switch and then hit the button which began the explosions. In a matter of moments, Morgenroete and the Orb mass driver was consumed in a fiery blaze as they all began self destructing. As it blaze consumed him, Lord Uzumi looked to the stars, and before he vanished into the inferno, he gave one last wish. Farewell Cagalli, my little lioness. Please be safe, and remember I will always love you. Take care of her Kira Yamato, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime.

As they watched the explosions take the Orb facilities that they were after, the Earth Forces could only gasp in shock, while Murruta Azrael gained a furious expression at the sight before him.Damn you Uzumi Nara Athha!

Meanwhile, Starscream looked upon the sight and merely gave a small chuckle at the development that had occurred before them. "Well now, I will admit the destruction of Orb by Lord Uzumi's own hands is unexpected, but not unplanned for. Still I cannot deny that this proved to be a magnificent battle, and I suppose that the lion of Orb was a somewhat worthy opponent. Farewell Uzumi Nara Athha, it could've gone the other way."

"Starscream, you really think that it really could've," Sharpshot buzzed.

"No, but why speak ill of the dead," Starscream told him. With that said, Starscream just let out a soft cackle as he led his forces in full retreat, leaving some to wonder just what exactly Starscream was really planning.

As they watched the inferno consume Orb and Onogoro Island, Kira and Athrun could barely stand the sight of the lost as they along with Optimus, Dreadwing, and Kisaka all turned their heads away to bow them in sadness as they prayed for a peaceful rest for the people who had died all the while, feeling tears come to their own eyes, as one blonde, amber eyed girl heavily sobbed as she cried out for the man she had called father.

AN: Okay so for those of you who did NOT want me to kill off Lord Uzumi, my apologies, but there was no way for me to advance the story right without leaving that there. In regards to that, I just want to say that I really don't enjoy killing off characters in stories that I write, whether it be part of the original continuity or an OC that I added in or whatever, and writing that last bit of this chapter really made me come close to crying my eyes out right along with Cagalli. I may be a man, but I am not afraid to cry. To quote Gundam Unicorn, "Crying because you care is a totally different matter".

That being said, in response to a review from "Lone Gundam", I agree Cagalli went from the major bad ass girl she was in Gundam SEED to total whimp for the first...portion of Gundam SEED Destiny, and while she will be similar to that state, it won't be exactly the same, mostly because personally I feel that the way she was depicted at that time was not really accurate. Don't get me wrong losing a parent can be quite rattling for someone (For further examples see Bruce Wayne), and the fact she was something of an amateur politician dealing with experienced and manipulative ones was overwhelming as well, but I really don't think someone like Cagalli would just give in to those people so easily. This time around, she'll be able to have a lot of extra help with the Autobots and her other friends and she'll be a lot tougher too, but I can't say anymore beyond that without giving away what will happen in the sequel, but then again maybe I've already said too much on that matter.

Anyhow, with that said and done, Onto the preview!...

Our heroes have returned to space once more, and they can feel that the final battle is now on the horizon. As the Autobots take every measure to ensure they are ready, Cagalli comes to Arcee, Bumblebee, Athrun, and Kira to speak with them about the revelation that her father had given her. Feeling he is still unsure of many things, Athrun decides to return to the PLANTs to confront his father once more, but will he find what he hopes, or will all his hopes be shattered like glass? With the time quickly approaching, Lacus and her followers begin to make their move as well, but will they be able to escape? What is Megatron planning, and the question that runs foremost in the minds of all the Autobots, what happened to Ratchet? Next time on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime…Chapter 25: Dawn of a New Light. Cut through the darkness as you seek out the truth Gundam and Dreadwing!

Please read and review, and I'll see you next time! Which will be as soon as I get my breath back from writing this seriously long chapter. [collapses to take a loooooong nap]